FACTORY 13 Remake
by Familiar47
Summary: The remade version of FACTORY 13. Rating may change in future.
1. Prologue: Abduction, Holiness

FACTORY-13

All OCs belong to their respective owners.

IZ belongs to Jhonen Vasquez.

All OCs registered for the previous story shall appear in this.

To list them all...

**Nova- A melodramatic, murdering, defective, killing machine of an Irken.**

**Tayon 'Tay'- A sadistic and cruel nurse who has gone out of the way to keep her institution open and running.**

**Wiyn- A racist Irken who opposes anything outside of what she considers to be 'normal' and 'perfect' in Irkens.**

**Thorn- A cannibalistic Irken with a friendly side to her.**

**Leka- A former 'would be supersoldier' who is simply on the run from the Crimson Empire**

**Sicarious- A loyal assassin of Tallest Shadow**

**Al Capone- A mysterious and unspecified alien who wears a mask and models himself after the real gangster himself.**

**Meq- A table headed service drone with a violent streak.**

**Jrek- An elite Invader of the Crimson Empire **

**Geni- A weapons designer, and all around genius since her childhood with multiple personalities afflicting her every action.**

**Katya- An Irken produced to serve as a form of 'morale' for an Irken group, Katya has been taken from her gilded cage and will have to fill the shoes of the ancient warrior from whom she was cloned.**

**Rikalo- A former Irken mercenary, now in the employ of Tallest Envon.**

**De Rien- An Irken and Imperial Guard who was frozen almost 15 000 years and was previously unthawed and later became Rikalo's mate.**

**Karth- An ingenious scientist who is infected by one of his own toxins, and now has a limited time span before it leaves him to a rather gruesome and slow death.**

**Vesira- A masked Irken who seems to know more about FACTORY-13 than she lets on.**

**Paneece- A former invader for the Old Empire, and former scientist for the Blue Empire, now she is a consort of the Holy Irken Empire's ruler: The Caterpillar alongside his first wife, the Monarch.**

**BlackJack- A former colleague of Tayon's, and supposedly has to do with why Tay is so badly scarred.**

**Ruk-Nal- A Kvetchian Mercenary and part of the Nexus Corps, an elite freelance organization of assassins and thugs.**

**Belthiad- An Irken Bounty Hunter in the employ of Shadow and Red.**

**Ten'va and Tal'vo- A pair of Planet Jacker siblings.**

**The Carlos- A being composed entirely of Chaos Energy...who now has had an interesting change occur to him.**

**Frequency- A blue furred, universe hopping mercenary/surfer.**

**Senior- Former Communications Officer for the Massive and currently one of Shadow's most trusted and hand picked warriors.**

**Janie- A former lover of Rik's and mother of two of his children: Rimak and Lania. Wife of Velrik.**

**These 26 (I know there's 25 on the list but the 26****th**** is listed yet not listed here...in the form of a vague foreshadow) will be my primary cast for this story-other characters outside of the tournament shall receive their own screen time. I will try to get into the tournament as quickly as possible without rushing. For this, most of the competitors will have already been acquired except for...**

**Paneece, Rik, De Rien, Sicarious, and Geni**

Xxx

**Prologue- Abduction, Holiness**

Ediss' cries awoke Paneece early that morning, and that was why she was taken. The sun was not yet up, and only a few soldiers loaned from her brother patrolled the castle at this time. The baby monitor had been provided by Dib Membrane, now one of the co-Directors of the Star Devil unit run by the Blue Empire; it was linked to Panny's PAK so that she could hear when Ediss was disturbed without having to wake up The Caterpillar or the Monarch. The blue eyed Irken quietly slipped out from under the arm which had been draped over her, and then climbed off of the bed and into a set of boots which rested next to it-she still wouldn't wear slippers.

She glanced back at her husband and fellow wife, who seemed to have adjusted and now were unaware of her absence. It had not been long after the battle against Tallest Shadow that the Caterpillar had asked Paneece to be his second wife, with The Monarch giving her blessing. Polygamy was not common in the Holy Irken Empire, but accepted none the less; Panny had been embarrassed that he had proposed in front of her whole family, but in the end she accepted. To think that when they had met she was terrified of and angry at the Caterpillar for abducting her, all so that Ediss and his sister could be born. And the returned former Tallest Miyuki had not been happy to learn that both of her daughters had been kidnapped at separate times to be used as breeders by the desperate ruler.

Luckily Paneece had talked Miyuki out of disciplining The Caterpillar before Ediss and Mitasha were born, thanks to the work of one being who still eluded any attempts to track him: The Carlos. Somehow he had 'willed' the two smeets to be conceived between Paneece and the nearly infertile Caterpillar as a gift to the two before he had vanished. They were glad for the gift, and the Caterpillar promised that if Carlos ever came to Settlement A1 he would be welcomed and sheltered. The memory of that goofy grin combined with those malicious and all knowing eyes made Panny shudder as she tip toed out into the corridor in a way similar to how she had done so a year ago when trying to escape from the castle.

She came to Ediss and Mitasha's room and allowed the scanner above the door to wash a beam of green light over her before accepting her Bio-Signature and opening the door for her. Ediss was wailing, she had best hurry before he woke the entire castle; but how he had not awakened Mitasha she would never know. She quickly shut the door behind her without slamming it and rushed over to Ediss' crib, slowly picking up her son and rocking him in her arms. "Shh...it's okay Ediss...maneeme is here." She whispered in High Irken, which many Irkens in the Blue and Holy Empires had taken to in the past several months over the Modern Irken dialect which the other Empires preferred as part of the status quo.

It worked, Ediss' wails began to die down slowly, and his white eyes travelled up to Panny's face as he reached up with his tiny arms and hugged his mother. In the next crib over, a pair of pale blue eyes opened; Mitasha slowly stood up, supported by the side of her crib and whined softly. She obviously did not like being left out, and the psychic link between the two only made it harder to do one thing without the other knowing about it and demanding the same. Paneece personally blamed the Caterpillar for the psychic powers her two smeets were giving off since day one.

"Oh alright Mitasha, you can join in too." Panny groaned as she picked up Mitasha with one arm and cradled both of her children. A smile passed over her lips as they cuddled against her, feeling content and letting her know through their powers.

She knew that if she put them back, she would never get any sleep tonight. Instead she walked over to the Queen sized bed which she had once occupied when she slept in this room-both against and by her own will at different times. She sat down and set her smeets together on one side before climbing in with them on the other side. She made sure they were both tucked in before kissing their heads.

"Such an adorable sight," A voice said before the speaker let out a sniff. "It pains me to ruin it."

Paneece slowly turned, her muscles going stiff as she wondered who could have gotten into the room without her knowing about it or seeing them during her whole time inside. The room was devoid of any life besides herself and her smeets, but now it had a chill to the atmosphere which not even the blankets could stop. Her smeets slept in blissful ignorance to the danger.

"I mean your family no harm, Paneece." The speaker continued, his voiced filtered and sounding as if it were being spoken through a cylinder. It had a distinct accent to it, almost what humans called British. "But if you don't get out of that bed, I will have to drag you out of it. We must talk, you and I!" The last sentence sounded almost jovial, and despite her fear Panny felt relaxed by the words a bit.

She obeyed the intruder's command and climbed out of the bed, searching for him. "Who are you and how did you get into this castle?"

"Who is to say that I was not already here?" The Intruder answered with his own question. "Or that I have been here for a long while? The Caterpillar does still take in many Irkens, but when you have millions flocking to join a community of about 80 000 then you just know that security will be a little too tight. Somebody unwelcome may slip in along the way. But enough of that, let's talk face to face."

A table was suddenly moved from near the window and to the center of the room, being gently lifted and set down. Then a figure shimmered into existence, a layer of transparency moving across him as he became visible, almost as if he were passing through a wall of liquids. He was an imposing size and had an impressive physique, yet every movement he made was so relaxed that he may as well have been in his own living room. His face was covered by a hood attached to a jacket, and beneath that hood was a mask with a pair of blue eye shaped visors, below them a matching mouth painted onto the mask's lower section in a neutral smile. Off to the left of the mouth was a noticeable dent in the otherwise flawless surface of the mask.

"Please, do not stand on my account," He slid a chair out, every word sounding genuine instead of mocking. "Sit, you should not have to stand with so much stress being placed upon you." He beckoned her over, even escorting her down into the chair despite how she at first flinched away from his touch. He was definitely an Irken, judging from his correct number of digits and the PAK on his back. "There we go, Lady Paneece. Now we might have a civilized conversation, or at least as civil as one might get considering the topic." He chuckled lightly as if making small talk.

Paneece was more direct. "What do you want from me?"

"Ah yes, there we go, right to it!" The Irken nodded, sitting across from her. "Very well Lady Paneece, I shall tell you. What I want is your cooperation and several days of your time, perhaps a few weeks at the very worst."

Paneece could already deduce what he meant by that, and gaped at his casual he was at speaking of abducting a consort to the ruler of the HIE. "You-you're abducting me?"

"Not for ransom or on behalf of Tallests Red or Shadow, I can promise you that much." The Irken nodded. "But yes, I am abducting you. I am taking you from one place against your will to another location, again, against your will. And once there you shall be free to fight your way free. And supposing you survive, you will only have to defeat me in a fair fight to escape."

This was all so direct. Why was he explaining this to her when he must have suspected that she had another way to alert the guards?

"And you might think that you do not have to come with me at all. Forget those thoughts. I have made sure that none of your guards come to interrupt." The Irken stood slowly. "Now...I shall give you one last chance to say farewell to your children. After that you shall come with me," He lost the pleasant tone in his voice. "_Or I will slit them open and spill their organs out._"

Panny did not know until that point that she had tears in her eyes, tears of fear made out for her children. "I-I will...please don't hurt my smeets."

"There...that's very good, Lady Paneece." He set a hand on her shoulder. "Say good bye, and let us be off."

"Allow me. _Goodbye!_"

Suddenly the doors flew open, and as an alarm began to wail a pair of boots planted themselves into the side of the Irken's head, sending him sprawling to the floor. His attacked and Panny's savior was a blue eyed Irken woman, older than Paneece and clad in dark clothing consisting of her boots, pants and a simple sleeveless shirt-that's what she slept in. Skullene looked at her younger sister, raising her voice over the alarm and the wails of Mitasha and Ediss. "Panny, run!"

Of course she would be here for her sister. Skullene would never leave her alone again, not after leaving for over three and a half decades to get away from the universe...and indirectly plunging the Irken Empire into civil war unintentionally through her actions.

"Ah, now you I wanted to meet above all others, save one other Irken." Warden admitted while he made sure his mask was still safely secured to his face. "You are one of the few in this universe who I can freely say that I do not wish to harm, Skullene. I would just like to take Paneece and leave before I run behind schedule."

"You can take my sister," Skullene presented her left side to Warden as she slipped into a stance. "When Venirans become pacifists."

Warden gave an irritated groan and pulled down the zipper of his jacket, shedding the garment from his upper body to reveal a long sleeved black shirt that hugged every muscular inch of him. His antennae perked up as the jacket's hood slipped away, freeing them. Paneece was gathering up her smeets into her arms as they wailed from their rest being disturbed. As she made for the door, Warden slipped a gleaming pistol out of a holster on his right thigh and fired as Skullene pulled out her own blaster and shot at him.

She was a second too slow, but the pistol in his hand detonated and shattered into pieces. He grasped the wrist of his injured hand, his whole body now as stiff as a board, but a light chuckle escaped him after a moment. As Panny made to rush out into the hall where several guards now stood, she vanished in a pillar of green light...and both of her smeets hit the floor and now were shrieking and kicking their feet in the air. The guards were so startled that it took them a quick second to pick the Royal Children up.

Skullene launched herself across the room after Paneece had vanished, not bothering to shoot Warden since he may have been her only lead on where her younger sister had gone. Warden's hand now seemed to be perfectly fine, or at least it operated as such despite being burnt and having shards of metal in it. He batted aside Skullene's first punch with his 'injured' hand, and twisted his hips clockwise while bringing up his left arm and used his forearm to block the next jab she sent his way. She got in closer, bending her arms a bit as she prepared to switch from wider and stronger attacks to quicker ones for tighter quarters.

She was fuelled by adrenaline and motivated by fear for her sister. She was never truly a fighter to begin with like Skullene or their other siblings, and while Paneece could be moved to kill she would be more afraid than angry right now, too afraid to summon up her courage. Skullene had to work fast so she could beat the location of her sister out of this bastard.

He tried to rest one hand on her head and force it down to where his right leg was rising so his knee could meet her jaw. She crossed her forearms in an X shape so that they took the blow; she thrust her crossed arms into Warden's abdomen, successfully unbalancing him. She took advantage of this to come back up with an uppercut to his jaw that bruised one of her fingers on the edge of his mask, but it still knocked him back a step. She took advantage of his brief attack of dizziness and brought her right leg up until it reached her waist before snapping it out in a front kick that hit Warden in the same place she had hit him with both fists a few moments ago.

Now he should have been short of breath, but when she came in for the kill he was suddenly moving so fast that she was struggling to keep up. He changed his style constantly, going from ranged and powerful or close and fast to favoring kicks or punches. The guards had tried to enter the room, but found that a barrier blocked their way. It was the one way security barrier, which had allowed Paneece to leave before she had been teleported away-as energy weapons were a lot more gruesome than simply reducing somebody to dust particles on the wind...Skullene refused to believe that Panny was dead!

Her brief lapse in concentration earned her a surprise from Warden: a knife blade sprang from the sleeve of his shirt, and he sank it into her. She grasped his forearm and gave out a strangle gasp, managing to stop the blade from going too far in. He tilted his head. "Very good, but the Skullene I know never would have let herself get distracted."

"Well...then I guess...you don't know shit about me!" Skullene growled before she removed her right hand from the grip which she had on Warden's blade arm, and then slammed her fist down onto his elbow joint. It did not dislocate it as she had hoped it would, but it made his grip all but vanish and gave her the chance to shove his knife arm free of her belly. She then ducked as Warden swung the blade in an arc, and twisted as he jammed it down towards her. As she turned counter clockwise so that her front faced the arm which had missed her, she grabbed Warden by that appendage and pulled him down to the floor.

He twisted free before she could get a good arm lock on him, and a fist to her agonizingly pained midsection reinforced this difficulty. Warden kicked Skullene in the face as she clutched at the area over her stab wound. This knocked her on her back, but she held onto his foot and pushed off of the ground. As she came up, lifting Warden's right leg up to keep him off balance by cupping one hand under his knee, Skullene grasped him by the neck with her other hand once she stood up straight. She pushed Warden, and he tumbled over onto his back.

The larger Irken curled in on himself, rolling backwards and catching Skullene's foot in both hands. He could have twisted and snapped her ankle, but instead he just pushed her back. Though off balance, she remained on her feet and recovered as he approached her, his hidden blade popping free again. She pretended to be tending to her stab wound as he got close enough, and struck out at his ribs. He barely flinched as the blow landed, and Skullene pulled her now sore hand back before he backhanded her across the face. The blue eyed Irken was knocked to the floor.

"Do we really have to waste time with this pointless and very much undesired fight?" Warden asked. "I do not want to hurt you, Skullene. But you will leave me no choice."

Skullene pulled herself to her feet, one hand over her stab wound and applying pressure to keep more blood from pouring out. "Why so hesitant? You had no problem abducting my little sister!"

"Her capture was necessary," Warden replied as if it were an obvious fact. "I take no pleasure in this, I promise you."

"Oh, good," Skullene removed her bloodstained hand from the still bleeding wound. "Because I'll take a lot of pleasure in-" She dashed forward and twisted while lifting herself off of the ground , her momentum carrying her foot the extra few inches to slam into Warden in the area of his collar bone and knock him back a few steps. This blow hurtled him into the wall, evidence that she had taken him by surprise.

Now Skullene just had to press her advantage. While he was off guard and trying to recover, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and swung him off his feet-which in itself feat which was impressive considering that he appeared to be twice her size and weight in muscle, and slammed him down on his back. She planted a knee on his neck and jammed her gun into his face. The kick and the following capture had taken all of three seconds to execute without stopping once.

Now he was at Skullene's mercy.

"What did you do with her?" She demanded. "What did you do with Panny?!"

Warden's reaction could not be seen from under his mask, but she had the distinct feeling that he was smiling at her now. She made to strike him with the handle of her pistol, but a voice drew her attention away from her prisoner. "Skullene! Where is Panny?!"

It was the Caterpillar, who had dragged himself out of bed without a single article of clothing on and was gaping with horror filled eyes at the sight of his children's room. The Monarch collected the twins from the guards, trying to soothe them of their distress as they cried out for their mother.

"This guy knows," Skullene back down at Warden. "He can-" She stopped.

Warden was gone, and it was as if he had vanished precisely at the moment that she had looked back at him. Without his body to support her, she fell to the floor. Instantly the ex-Invader let out an ear splitting cry of pure rage as she beat one fist on the floor, ignorant of her increasing external flow of blood. "No! NO! NO NO _**NO**_!"

"Panny!?" The Caterpillar was frantically looking around the room as if Paneece would pop out of nowhere. Unable to contain himself, he howled to the artificial sky over the settlement. "PANNYYY!"

Xxx

Across many light years, a planet circled a distant star. This world was Splor III, part of a system named after the late Tallest Splorchamheimer, and the new headquarters of the StarDevil division created by the joint cooperation of the Blue Irken Empire, the Holy Irken Empire, and the Terran Federation. The original location of the StarDevils: Ser, had been levelled in a surprise attack by the Shadow Empire. Though the citadel there was being rebuilt and fortified, the StarDevils remained in the Splor system, occupying two colony worlds and three planets which were being terraformed by the HIE.

Splor III was the most suitable world of the five, being at the perfect distance from the sun to give it ample heat and sunlight while not scorching the surface like with Splor Prime and Splor II, the former of which was so close that it would require dome facilities for anybody to ever survive on the small world. It had a population of over ten million humans and twice as many Irkens, and perhaps just as many aliens of neutral or allied species such as the Vortians of the restored Vort Federation, or the Venirans of the re-emerging Veniran Empire. An armada of the Blue Empire's battle cruisers held vigil over the planet, and nearly three million of the inhabitants were trained for combat on a weekly basis.

However nearly ten thousand trained daily, and went on missions into the Crimson or Shadow Empire...mostly the former since the Shadow Empire had a habit of sending back pieces in a tiny box. Among these ten thousand were two Irkens, two normal Irkens with no mutations or powers, and lived together in the compound where the Star Devils made their roots. The Compound, Camp Unity was a small city unto itself, supporting the families of thousands of StarDevil operatives. This was what made it perfect for Rikalo 'Rik' and De Rien to live in.

Janie could not help but growl at the memory of De Rien as her transport cruised along the road. There were no other passengers anymore, as only Janie had been given an authorization pass to use a public transport to go right to Camp Unity out of the original forty passengers. She was going there to visit her one time lover and now current 'friend': Rik...to celebrate the first birthday of his newest daughter. Velrik, Janie's husband, had taken well to his new post in the Blue Empire and was now a Captain of his own vessel. But when he and Rik saw one another, Velrik unintentionally scowled and gave a soft growl, one arm going around Janie's waist almost possessively.

Velrik and Rikalo had no quarrel...at least they weren't supposed to have one, but then again Janie wasn't supposed to be jealous without right or reason. Rik had confessed to Velrik decades ago of his affair with Janie and took full responsibility for it, even letting Velrik punch him despite how Rik had the urge to snap the shorter Irken's wrist as part of a hormone fueled contest over Janie. Maybe that was one reason why she had loved Rik: he was not ruled by his instincts, and had feelings for her without the passionate sex. Years he had left her, now with two extra children, she had tried to find him so that Lania and Rimak could actually grow up knowing that their father was a decent man; but instead he found her on MurderWorld, broken and half insane. He had gone there to find her...but then immediately he went after _her_, that bitch who he called his wife.

Janie wanted to hate De Rien so much, but could not find the power to take it beyond simply disliking her. She could not blame De Rien for wanting her husband back...but to Janie he had been a comfort for when Velrik was gone. When they had been together while Velrik was out on the frontlines, she had not felt like she was replacing her husband, but finding another person who was there for her. When Rik had brought De Rien aboard, Janie had no desire to ruin their reunion and had apologized sincerely for her part in the affair despite how Rik once again tried to take the blame...but in the back of her mind she wanted to punch De's lights out. Yes, Rik had cheated on her by definition, but he had been separated from her and any intimate contact for years by then and had only hours beforehand had saved her life, yet she was worried about an affair which had ended years ago?!

Well, the messed up love triangles were supposed to be over now, and Janie found a part of herself relieved...the other half was still jealous though. Often it felt more like some ridiculous soap opera had taken over her life ever since two years ago when Rik had found and rescued her on MurderWorld.

Now both De and Janie were back with their husbands and living on Splor III, a couple of big happy families with nice houses and beautiful children...or at least De had that last one, Janie hadn't had a child in decades. Janie loved Velrik dearly, and she felt that her jealousy towards De Rien was unwarranted...but damn it every instinct kept telling her to clobber De and take Rik. A wave of guilt washed over Janie as he antennae went limp. "...he's not yours Janie...he loved her first."

Then the transport slid to a stop, and Janie was snapped out of her thoughts as the aft doors opened. "Final stop: Camp Unity." The driver announced as Janie climbed out and squinted against the sun. She stood in an empty lot, surrounded on three sides by walls and on the fourth by a busy road. StarDevil Operatives wore their uniforms at all times, and relied on their PAK weapons in the event of an attack; it was still odd to see armed and uniformed soldiers sitting and eating with their families or even playing with their children in the park which occupied the center of the military base/town. Janie felt as though she stuck out in her flattering pink summer dress and black boots, standing on the sidewalk with a bag cradled in her arms and looking lost as a smeet.

"Looking good as ever, Janie," Janie winced when she did not hear that voice call her _darlin'_ like it used to so many times. She guessed that that word was reserved for his wife now.

She forced a smile and turned...and the smile became genuine as she saw those kind and strong red eyes, a muscular body hidden by a black short sleeved coat, and that confident air about the Irken. He was cradling a purple eyed smeet who was looking at Janie curiously. Even when she was frustrated, Janie could not get mad at Rikalo 'Rik', former bounty hunter and currently Captain in the StarDevil Division.

"Looking handsome as ever," She retorted, but cut herself off as she was about to call him 'love'. She corrected herself quickly. "Rikalo."

The smile receded a bit, and she knew that using his full name made him uncomfortable unless it was for business. In a way they both cared for one another still, but it hurt that they had to talk to one another like their relationship had never existed to begin with.

"Come on," He offered her a hand. "We've got food cookin' in the oven and Membrane himself is gonna be dropping in. We got the gift Velrik sent too."

Janie reached out and took his hand, and for a moment pictured the two of them walking side by side, carrying Lania and Rimak instead of him carrying Lira. Then she shook it off and replied. "I can't wait." She leaned down to Lira's level. "And I think you can't wait to get your present!"

Lira giggled and held out her arms to Janie. Rik saw what was coming and advised Janie quickly. "You might wanna hand the gift over to me and hold out your arms."

Janie obeyed, a little confused. Rik then set Lira in her arms, and Lira hugged Janie tightly around the neck, surprising her.

"She's been doing that since day...nine or ten." Rik said. "After she got her PAK installed she chose a few expressions to show her emotions through. That one means that she likes you."

Janie's smile returned, and she held Lira as Rik led her away from the lot. She stroked Lira's antennae back gently as the smeet rested her chin on Janie's shoulder. "I remember that Lania liked to do that too."

"Yep, she and Lira are pretty much alike." Rik nodded.

"...And I like Lira too," Janie admitted, rubbing the smeet's head and eliciting a giggle from her. "Let's hurry home so she can open her new gift."

Yep, everything seemed perfect. The Crimson and Shadow Empires were inactive on the front lines, giving soldiers such as the StarDevils more time with their families until they were sent to infiltrate either Empire to explore a rumor. The Blue Empire had grown by over ten million Irkens in the last two years alone, and was beginning to envelope the smaller Irken Nations, which would eventually put Envon on top of the whole Irken race if things went well. And best of all, people like Rik and Janie could live the way they wanted to: away from the danger and with the ones they loved. Yeah...everything was perfect...

Wait until they got to Rik's house though.

Wait until the actual Rik got to his house. He was still on his way back to Splor III after completing a quick mission on Dib Membrane's orders.

He wouldn't be happy when he got there.

Xxx

End of Prologue


	2. Chapter 1: Gunslinger's Confrontation

FACTORY 13

Invader Zim is property of Jhonen Vasquez

Seeing as ngrey651's Frequency will be involved once more I also don't own Lilo & Stitch either

Nor do I own any of the characters, ideas and/or OCs not of my own making. And I extend my thanks to the authors who have offered their characters to assist in building this.

Oh and Mass Effect is property of Bioware. It is only mentioned in this but I felt that I should say this anyways.

Xxx

**Chapter One – Gunslinger's Confrontation**

He wouldn't be happy when he got there...

Because somebody let the damn dog out again.

"No Fluffy," Rikalo 'Rik' wagged one finger, backing up towards the military issued taxi ship which he had just climbed out of. "No. No!"

But the dark shape darting across the lawn towards him paid no heed. It panted eagerly, leaping into the air at Rik as the Taxi wisely took off to get out of the way.

"No no nono-" THUD! "AGH! FLUFFY!"

The creature licked Rik's face affectionately, having imprinted on him in the few months since it had hatched from an egg...which BlackJack had no doubt stolen from its native habitat. Shadow Furies could be tamed if it had the proper 'mommy and daddy', and viewed Rik and BlackJack as that since they were the first two beings it had laid eyes on.

"I know, I know." Rikalo sighed as he lay on his back, pinned by the weight of the winged creature. "I missed you too Fluffy." The Shadow Fury seemed satisfied and rushed to show Rikalo its previous concern: nobody would let it inside. It pawed at the door, whining like a dog and looking at Rik as if saying 'what are you waiting for? Let me in!'

"I swear, if BlackJack can't keep control of her pets, she can't bring 'em over anymore." Rik grumbled as he walked over and held out a key to unlock the door. "Your _her_ baby. I'm not the one who decided it would be fun to stop on a forbidden world just to piss off a Crimson Warship, and then pick up an egg out of a nest to see what was inside." The memory was still fresh in his mind, mostly because BlackJack had been planning to cook the egg before it had hatched right as she was about to put it in to cook.

And seeing as Shadow Furies were venomous, Rik did not want to think about what the egg yolk would have done to his throat, had he joined her in her meal.

Before he could unlock the door, it suddenly opened of its own accord. The motion sensor was on, which was odd seeing as that only happened when the door was unlocked...

And De Rien was so paranoid for the safety of their daughter that she never left it unlocked. Rik looked down at Fluffy, who at first looked excited before realizing that his 'father' was not happy. He had been too small to trigger the sensor, which was designed to only identify adult sized signatures like Rik's. But this only meant that somebody had unlocked the door from inside...and again, De Rien would never do that.

Before one would have been able to blink, Rik had slid a pistol out from under his coat and rushed right into the house...

And was immediately struck right over the head with an object which knocked him to the floor. "Got him! Grab him, quick!" Several claws or regular hands began to grasp as Rik's arms and neck, but with a snarl he twisted towards one of the intruders on his left. He reached up as the alien bent down, and forced the assailant down further before hooking one knee over the now frightened ScrewHead's neck. He slammed the small alien into the floor, strangling him using the joint of his knee to apply the pressure. Rik then lunged forward while tucking himself into a ball.

The ScrewHead's flailing limbs made it harder for some of the attackers to grab for Rik again; even as the alien's sensitive neck gave away with a 'crunch' followed by the body going limp. One or two of the attackers were trying to pound Rik's head with their bare knuckles; typical beginners. They should have used the palm or heel of their hands to strike him, or a hammerfist blow. Heck, even a florping karate chop would have worked better. Punches weren't meant for the skull since it ran the risk of doing more than just bruising your knuckle if you kept it up.

One of the attackers seemed to learn this the hard way at that point, pulling back and sucking in a breath as he held his hand. Rik had already grabbed his accomplice just as the alien began to bring down his fist in another blow. He tugged the alien closer by grabbing his outstretched arm, and then his free hand darted forward and dug his thumb and a finger under the jugular notch at the neck. From there Rik swung the alien to the ground and had hold over the arm he had been using to attack with a moment ago.

He planted one foot against it while making sure his other one was firmly set on the ground. Rik twisted the arm into the proper position despite the struggles of the attacker, and then with a little pressure the joint was utterly dislocated as the alien bawled. Rik released the Kvetchian as the fourth member of the six man team pulled out a gun and tried to aim it in Rik's chest-the moron even tried holding it sideways and looked like he was from some crappy human video...one about fifty or sixty years old by this point if Rik recalled.

But the Irken had not stopped to ponder popular culture on Earth. He had moved to the outside of the Vortian's arm and looped his left arm around it, grasping the forearm while his right hand kept the gun aimed away from him. He forced one hand into the circle of the trigger guard and then tore the weapon from the Vortian's grasp. As he did so he slid his left hand into place so his fingers wrapped around the handle of the old human ballistics gun and squeezed the trigger twice just as he brought it to bear on the fifth member, who was wisely choosing a knife over a gun for the tighter quarters of the area.

Rik then spun around, jamming his left arm back and bending it until the right moment when he snapped it straight and struck the Vortian in the forehead with the handle of his own weapon. The alien collapsed with a groan, and Rik saw that the sixth alien was too close by now to simply shoot-and he did not wish to risk shooting through any walls in case his family was hiding or being held hostage within the house.

The sixth alien, an Irken jabbed at Rik with a knife. He held it in his right hand, the arm crossing his chest so that he could keep it close and jab quickly at Rik's chest with the blade held in a reverse grip. Rik back pedaled desperately, but the knife still sank into the right side of his chest and was stopped cold by his rib cage. The Irken cringed and threw himself back as his attacker continued his effort to land a critical blow with the blade.

Rik managed to grab the knife arm and force it up while slipping under it, twisting it in his grip a bit as he transferred to the Irken's outer side and pinned the knife arm across his chest in a similar fashion to how he had pinned the gunman's arm a minute ago. He wrestled the knife away from the Irken after a few moments of cutting off the circulation to his hand, but the Irken pulled a surprising move by suddenly spinning lightning fast and slammed the tip of his boot into Rik's temple. This knocked him away and sent the knife sliding across the room.

Dazed, Rik stumbled against the couch and saw the blurred shape of the Irken charging right for him. He brought both arms up, hands open and arms bent with his torso twisted so that the left side was slightly further forward than the right. He lowered his head, presenting his forehead as a more open target at just the right minute and protecting his neck as the Irken swung a right hook at him-

Crack! The Irken howled as he broke at least one finger against Rik's forehead-that was why you wear protection when you go for such a blow against a hard bone like that. As his vision returned, Rik saw the very first fighter who had made the clumsy mistake of punching him in the skull earlier returning to the fight after witnessing four of his five comrades go down. But then a black blur slammed into him and a set of venomous jaws closed around his neck. Fluffy-Chomper had leaped in and was now ripping the Planet Jacker's neck open.

Rik returned his attention to his opponent just as he began to recover for another attack. Rik darted forward and snapped his left arm out, a hammer fisted blow striking the temple of the green eyed Irken to daze him. Then Rik twisted his hips counter clockwise while jabbing his right arm forward, the heel of his hand hitting the Irken in between the eyes to further the nausea. It hurt like hell, but in the end it paid off and the Irken was close to going down now.

Rik's hand shot forward and sank both fingers and the thumb of his right hand into the jugular notch of the Irken's neck-well it was the Irken equivalent of the jugular notch anyways. With that, Rik swung the Irken over the couch and made him land face first on the coffee table, shattering it under his weight.

With the final assailant down, Rik collapsed against the back of the couch and coughed up some blood which he had held in, hands on his sore sides to nurse his bruised or broken ribs. He gasped in pain, falling onto his side and waiting for the agony to pass at first before remembering that his family could be in danger. With a groan, he fought his way past the pain and began to raise himself to his feet. "Great...just got back home and the welcome I get is an ass beating in my own living room...florping gre-" He coughed again, leaning against a wall.

Fluffy-Chomper let out a whine and pressed his head to Rik's leg before darting out of the living room and up the stairs. Rik followed after him, limping a bit-some of those aliens had been wearing metallic toed boots when they were kicking him, so he definitely had some broken bones. Before he even reached the stairs, he heard an excited squeal from the second floor.

This urge him on, and by the time he reached the top stair he found Fluffy padding into view with a purple eyed Irken smeet on his back. Lira grinned at the sight of her father and held her arms out. Rik was so glad to see her that he quickly scooped her up into a hug, holding her protectively to his chest. But after a few moments he loosened his hold and looked down at her. "Sweety...where is mommy?"

Lira blinked. "Don't...know." She sniffed. "Gone. Every...body. Gone."

Rik cradled Lira while sitting on the top step. "What happened?"

"...black mask." Lira whispered, cuddling closer to her father for protection. "Blue eyes...but he also had red eyes..."

What could that mean? Blue eyes, but red eyes? Maybe the mask she spoke of had a visor of one color, but then she saw the real eye color of the kidnapper? Rik would have to find out later. He needed to call the security forces-

"_Excellent! Good job, Rikalo. I expected no less from a man of your reputation._" A voice applauded him, sounding pleasant and sincere. Rik looked to the source of it as it floated out of an open bedroom door further up the second floor corridor of the house. The drone lowered itself to Rik's head's level. "_Even when taken by surprise you took down all six of my hired uh...mercenaries._" Obviously he never had much faith in those goons to begin with. "_But if you had failed I would be most disappointed._"

"Who are you?" Rik demanded. "And where is my wife?"

"_She and a few others were required elsewhere; specifically they were required in a location of my designation._" The speaker explained calmly. "_Most of the guests in your house are unharmed and are in fact back home now. I am not a heartless man despite what I have done and what I intend to do to you, Rikalo of Irk._"

"Irk isn't my home," Rik frowned at the drone, rising to his feet and setting Lira on Fluffy's back. "Fluffy, take Lira outside, now." The Shadow Fury obeyed and darted down the steps with a nervous Lira clinging to him. "...what do you want?"

"_Your cooperation._" The speaker said. "_If you accept, then within the next few hours you shall be reunited with your wife, your former second in command...and your former mistress._"

He had De, Janie _and_ BlackJack. Great. "If it's money you want, I'll pay-"

"_No no Rikalo it isn't money I want! In fact I am in a position to give you much if you cooperate. More than just your wife's company. All you must do is meet a few other individuals tonight at the warehouse 32-E in the eastern landing fields of the nearby Outpost 7 at 2200 hours, on this world that means nine oh clock. Do remember...bring weapons and supplies with you, as I feel that you may need them for this._" The speaker chuckled softly. "_In fact...bring your wife's staff also. She will want it for what comes. Take the time to visit a medical pod and have the damage to you mended so that you have more than half a chance of surviving what shall happen during the next few weeks Rikalo...you may wish for death by the end of it either way. Oh and no telling anybody of our arrangement. I won't go over the usual threats of what shall happen, as I'm sure you already know. Tata, Rikalo._"

The drone then vanished from sight.

Rik did not waste any time in rushing around the house. He tore into the garage and opened the vent on the floor near the back. He pulled up the hidden stash of weapons he kept there: his old revolver styled blaster pistols, a special multi-module rifle which could be converted into a shotgun, sniper rifle, or automatic rifle setting; there were also 48 energy cells for the three weapons, which ran off of the cylindrical shaped cells. He could carry half of those at best...but he had a plan to bring them all with him.

He set the three weapons aside along with the two sacks of energy cells. Then he unrolled another parcel which contained a series of blades and sheathes. He picked one to serve as a main close quarters weapon, a machete styled blade which was of Veniran origins. He slid it into its sheath and added it to the collection of chosen weapons before he found a half dozen balanced knives which would make perfect throwing weapons, and even had a bandoleer to hold them in. On top of that he took two switch blades which he slid into his boots.

Now he needed some armor...the only problem would be giving an excuse as to get it out of the base's armory.

Xxx

"And that's the full code?"

Two hours and a visit to a medical pod later, Rik was holding a scientist by the name of Volt by the back of his coat.

"Y-yes!" The yellow eyed Irken squeaked as he finished putting in his personal override code for the base. He had been there years ago when Rik, Envon, the Caterpillar and many other now close friends had faced Shadow's team. Unfortunately his courage had abandoned him for this particular encounter when Rik had burst into his office and dragged him halfway across the base through empty halls while lunch had brought the other staff and guards to the cafeteria.

And the security cameras had been disabled, so Volt could not expect help.

"Why Rik?" He whispered. "Why are you doing this?"

Rik sighed and released Volt as the door to the armory opened. "I'm sorry Volt, but I need a set of armor and I don't have the time or option of going through the proper channels." He turned Volt to face him, a now more gentle expression meeting the nervous scientist's eyes. "Volt...you know that I would not do this for no reason. I need you to just keep quiet for another..." He checked the time. "Six hours. After that, report what I've done and tell them to search for me at Outpost 7. Don't tell them before the right time or my family is going to die."

That was what brought Volt over.

Rikalo 'Rik' never joked about his family or used them to gain sympathy for a lie. He only ever used his family as part of an argument if the matter was truly serious and personal. Volt nodded. "O-okay Rik...I'll wait until nine to tell them."

"Thank you," Rik stepped into the armory. He ignored the rows of destructive weapons, heading for the row of pods which were lining the back wall of the room. He took off his jacket, showing that his upper body was bare beneath it. He only wore a set of pants now, going barefoot into one pod. He saw Volt's concerned face before the machine shut and let out a hiss of compressed air. Then glowing screens appeared before Rik.

**Scanning...**

**Scanning...**

**PAK Code confirmed.**

**Captain RIKALO.**

**Welcome.**

**Personal Armor?**

**Y/N...**

The first time you used one of these things, it would let you choose a type of armor setting. After that it would ask if you wanted the same thing or if you wanted something different. For Rik, he would need his main armor setting.

He tapped the Y.

**Beginning armor application. Please stand straight, look ahead, hold your arms to your sides with your palms forward, fingers spread and thumbs held out. Place your feet on the indicated areas.**

Two glowing green dots appeared, which Rik shifted to place his feet on. Then he adopted the specified position and looked at the glowing green light as the machine began its work. Slowly, Rik was clothed by the machine. It slid footwear and gloves onto him first, followed by a long sleeved shirt. Then it added the layer of armor which would cover his whole body. There would be stronger plates on his forearms, biceps, shoulders, torso, outer thighs, and knees, but the rest of the suit would be a material which contained the circuitry and wiring that operated the armor's systems.

It provided protection from physical attacks such as punches, blades, and to some extent projectiles and lasers. It was more appropriate as a stealth suit, as it contained one of the more common personal cloaks which could hide him for fifteen seconds before having to cool down and recharge-this was done with a solar panel built into each plate of armor. So long as one plate remained intact somewhat, then the cloak could recharge. Otherwise Rik would have to remove the device and let it sit out for a bit.

Aside from that, it would allow him to move quickly and freely, regulate his body temperature, help dissipate kinetic energy from blows, and to top it off it would be easier to hide under another layer of clothes. It finally placed a device on his right temple, an adhesive material keeping the combat visor in place as a red holographic screen was projected over his right eye. But it would also add weight to his body that would leave him more vulnerable if he wound up in a fight with somebody smaller and faster than him in a cramped space.

"...all done." He said as he stepped out of the pod, fully prepared for whatever this abductor had in mind. This was mostly precautionary, but the kidnapper had said that he would need all of this...including his wife's staff. He held the small, foot long pole in one hand and extended it to its full length. A plasma blade hissed to life at one end upon him pressing his thumb to an area of the staff marked with a white line. This was made to replace the staff which had been broken years ago in the final fight with Shadow's team.

He just hoped that De Rien would be alive to use it by the time he got there.

"Rik...are you sure that you can't tell me what is going on?" Volt asked meekly as Rik walked past him to where his pack and weapons lay. The red eyed Captain knelt and began to slide energy cells into secured compartments and pockets of the armor.

Upon fitting in a full two dozen, Rik nodded. "I'm quite sure, Volt. And trust me, if it did me any good then I would tell you in a heartbeat. But for now I have to go about this carefully...and play by some certain rules. One of which is that I cannot tell you anything."

But Volt was already deducing a good amount of what was happening. "Somebody is threatening your family. I can tell that much already. It's why you have all of these weapons and took that combat armor, isn't it?"

"Give the man a prize." Rik stood up, inserting two more cells into the rifle and checking it before he placed it on his back to the right of his PAK. The weapon collapsed into a small blockish shape, an idea taken from the old human game Mass Effect which many found to be effective. "Volt, the rules were quite specific when they said that if I tell you a thing beyond what I already have, my wife is going to die. And this guy has other hostages too, so please...keep your trap shut until nine oh clock."

Volt nodded, recoiling as if he had been slapped. "I will Rik, p-promise."

"...thank you." Rik slid the two pistols into holsters on his hips and secured them there. He strapped the machete holster to his right thigh, and clipped the bandoleer of throwing knives into place over his right shoulder and under his left arm. He took the two switchblades which he had removed from his boots earlier and put them back into slots in his now armored and metal toed boots.

"All systems are checking out," Volt said as he had the computer run a mostly automated scan of Rik's suit. "You're ready for...whatever you're going to do."

"Better to have this stuff and not need it," Rik shrugged. "...my daughter is at Dib's house. Please...if anything happens and me and De don't come back..." He sighed. "Just tell her how sorry me and De were...sorry for leaving."

Volt actually felt his eyes water at the idea of Rik and De Rien dying. They had been his friends for a long time, and outside of Rikalo's job the Captain was actually a sweet and loving man...it had been heartwarming to see them when they both were given their house. They had acted like they had just been granted access to paradise...but it had all been because they would have a second chance that most families never got...

It wasn't fair that they were possibly going to lose that to.

As Volt wiped his eyes, Rik left the room without another word.

He could not put this off any longer...he would wait in the forest by Outpost 7 and then head for the specified hangar in the east landing field.

Xxx

**Warehouse 32-E, East Landing Field, Outpost 7**

**8:54 PM**

Splor III's day/night cycle consisted of twenty six hours instead of twenty four hours like back on Earth. Most humans who had lived on Splor III for the past two years still were getting use to the slight but dramatic change in their day to day lives. There had also been gravity, unknown flora and fauna, which Irkens had found easier to adapt to due to their habit of living elsewhere besides their home world and often change location periodically.

This made it easier for Rik to keep track of the time using his PAK clock to make sure that he was accurate right down to the last minute. Also, even without his armor he wouldn't be chilled by the cool air. He wore a knee length, short sleeved coat over the armor while letting only his boots, gloves and head show.

He was in the alley between Warehouse 32-E and 32-F. Hundreds of similar structures were arranged in Outpost Seven, which housed spare parts for the whole colony's air and space fighter compliments...meaning thousands of voot cruisers and human made interceptors. He did not yet reach for any of his weapons, but he was doing his best to remain undetected until he had to step into the open. He pressed himself to the wall at the end of the alley and glanced around the corner.

"Who's there?" A nervous voice demanded. A light flicked on and momentarily blinded Rik, who swore and raised one arm to cover his eyes while his other began to slide a pistol out of his belt. But then the light was lowered to show a young Irken woman barely out of smeethood. She wore a long black robe and had white eyes. She also looked as frightened as she sounded.

"..." Rik held up his badge. "Star Devil Division, I'm from the local military. You can relax, ma'am."

The woman did not take his advice. "You're here because _he_ talked to you, aren't you?" She regarded him with suspicion. "Only people who he wants would come here willingly."

"He?" It was Rik's turn to look accusing. "Do you know who is responsible for all of the crap I've been put through today?"

"...he called me here too," The woman muttered as she looked at her feet. "He wants Grey or Black too, but I don't let them out when outside much anymore."

Rik had no idea what she was talking about, and didn't care to wager on the answer. He examined the front door built into the larger doors which would allow vehicles to enter the warehouse to load or unload equipment. He tested the lock and found that the door opened easily. He took another cautious glance at the mystery girl and slowly stepped inside the oddly bright interior of the warehouse.

"_Welcome! Welcome Rikalo...and Geni! Oh so very good to see you both in good health and present._" It was the voice of Warden which greeted them. The girl, Geni, had followed Rik in. "_Now with you two and your third associate here, we might begin._"

"...third?" Rik had his gun out just before he saw a small box being flung at him. He raised his free hand and caught it before whipping it back at the thrower, who had tossed it ahead of themselves as they rushed the gunslinger. This clearly startled them, and gave Rik the time to swing the butt of his pistol at the attacker. They expertly ducked under the attack and rolled away from Rik by using what was left of their momentum. Clearly this one was professionally trained instead of being some wannabe like the six who Rik had beaten down at his house.

The assailant planted her feet and twisted as she swung her leg up, her foot connecting with Rik's side and making him suck a breath in as he held the impacted area-even with his armor on the blow had left a sore spot and nearly knocked the breath out of him entirely. He then prepared for the next attack as the newcomer tried to swipe at him with a knife. He pivoted out of the path of the weapon and punched the Irken in the jaw, knocking her back and giving Rik a chance to examine her.

She was slender and taller than most Irkens, but shorter than Rik by nearly a half foot. She had silver eyes and generic curled antennae. She wore a black and silver Invader's uniform, but she moved more like she belonged as a Blade Agent of the Blue Empire thanks to her acrobatic expertise mixed with a lethal and effective style of fighting.

"_Meet Sicarious,_" Warden introduced the woman. "Assassin of the Shadow Empire."

The Irken, Sicarious relaxed into a normal standing position and dusted her suit off. "...an honor to meet you, Rikalo _Rik._" She smirked, holding out a hand. Rik did not shake it. "My my, so cold."

"Drop dead. I know that glove has a stun padding layer on the palm." Rik pushed the hand aside. "I always wondered why Shadow Assassins like to act like clowns."

"_Please! Please! No need for any of us to argue._" Warden said in a placating manner as the drone through which he was speaking drifted down to address them. "_You will have ample time to do that once united with your fellow competitors in the Battle Region._"

"Battle...Region?" Rik pronounced the words separately, absorbing what was happening...those two words sounded familiar...

Holy shit.

"_Indeed! Welcome to the first renewed season of FACTORY-13!_" Warden was softly clapping on his end of the speaker. "_I am your new Keeper, Warden. I was appointed Keeper of FACTORY-13 by quite a few influential figures in the galactic battlefield of politics and social power. And you along with many other specifically chosen beings shall take part in a tournament which takes place annually in the Frontline Assembly Combat Technologies Operational Red Yard 13._"

As the drone continued to amplify Warden's voice, it also projected images...wide views of city sized factories, corridors lined with the greatest technology of its time...assembly lines of ships and other devices being built by the dozens every minute. Then it began to show images from previous seasons of FACTORY-13 when it had been sponsored by the Irken Empire alongside a number of other tournaments used to entertain the public. FACTORY-13 had been famous for the fact that the area that the fights took place in was an active and popular production facility for munitions, weapons, spacecraft...anything.

That was the thing...Red Yard 13 was the last remaining facility of the Red Construction Corps, which had been named in honor of Tallest Red nearly two centuries ago. Out of a hundred massive complexes dedicated to building weapons of death, only RY13 remained...otherwise called Factory 13 by any workers who had stayed on until nearly 40 years ago when the civil war had resulted in the facility being abandoned and the show being cancelled. Back then, the works of the factory would have the luxury of watching a few defective Irkens or terrorists kill one another, even taking whole days off to watch the quarter final matches. By now the place must have been in disrepair...

"Oh shit," Rik whispered.

"Be honored, Rik-a-lo 'Rik'." Sicarious pronounced each syllable separately, making them roll off of her tongue. "You have apparently not lost your touch, or else you would not be here right now."

"Wait a second! WAIT!" Rik shouted. "My wife. Where is she?"

"..._Why I thought it was obvious Rikalo. She is competing!_" Warden chuckled softly. "_Along with your former mistress: Janie; and your old comrade, Napier-or as you called her, BlackJack._"

"You son of a bitch!" Rik snarled at the drone. "Let my wife, Janie, and BlackJack go or I swear you'll have the whole Star Devil division after you!"

"..._Good sir, if the Shadow Armada couldn't hope to reach me...what makes you think a few thousand soldiers could?" _ Warden teased Rik. "_They are already entered into the system...and the sooner you three join them, the quicker we can begin._"

Rik reached for the communicator built into the gauntlet of his armor. "Captain Rikalo, I need a cyber warfare package delivered to my personal armor, immediately!" Maybe a nice virus would allow Rik to figure out where Warden was hiding once it was uploaded to the drone. But no sooner than the words left his mouth, the drone's lens glowed bright blue, and all three Irkens were engulfed by the light...

Xxx

When Geni Usingo's eyes opened, they were not white...they were grey.

"Perfect," She smiled, seeing a blue sky overhead that was obviously not Splor III's, seeing as Splor III did not have multiple massive battle stations orbiting it along with four moons. She slowly sat up and took in her surroundings. She was sitting on the roof of a building that was nearly 10 stories high, located near the edge of the downtown district. Larger structures towered high over Geni, reaching up hundreds of stories high with assistance from gravity tethers to keep them in place.

The buildings all around were in disrepair, many crumbling or already rubble that was pouring out into the street. Abandoned vehicles rested in a total mess down in the roads below, and a growth of vines was spreading from every opening which led to the sewers. This city was no doubt one of the sections of Red Yard 13...

"Ah...the Executive District," She whispered. "Perfect..."

Xxx

"My-my Tallest!"

Tallest Envon's blue eyes cracked open, adjusting to the dimly lit throne room as multiple lights began to turn on. He squinted and held one hand over his eyes to block out the glare until his vision had adjusted. A single drone had rushed in while he had been catching up on some badly needed sleep. He had been up for a week straight, using his PAK's nutrient stores to keep himself going.

"My Tallest, you will want to see this!" The drone implored him. "It's bad, very bad!"

Envon slowly rose from his throne, making the drone quiver in fear at the sight of the immensely tall Irken. Though Envon was a better ruler than Red and Purple had been to their shorter subjects, the drone and many like him could not help but be in awe and hold a sense of terror regarding taller Irkens such as him. He smoothed down his long blue coat, which fell to his knees and hid a slender frame which was not as eerily skinny as Red and Purple had been.

"Show me," He paused, and added a smile as he rubbed the drone's head. "And relax, I'd hate for you to feel so nervous just because of me. You've done your job well."

The drone let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, my Tallest." He led Envon out of the throne room, which was almost always empty and sparse in comparison to the ridiculously big and overly decorated chamber used by Red-and formerly by Purple. They passed through corridors which showed a pleasant view of the capital of New Irk, which was the fortress world and capital planet of the Blue Irken Empire. New Irk had only been colonized forty years ago, and despite having over four billion Irkens populating it, there were only cities built on two of the continents to save up space for farming. Structures were made taller instead of cities being spread out faster and faster.

So in comparison to Irk...this planet was a paradise filled with massive forests, mountains, and untouched environments.

After passing through three levels of the palace, Envon entered the Command Center, which was the literal heart and core of the palace. Irkens saluted as he stepped inside. "Commander Dev, I've heard that there's something I won't like. Do explain."

"It's uh...Captain Rikalo, my tallest." The badly scarred ex-Invader explained as he walked alongside Envon. "Well...you may want to see for yourself." Envon sat in a chair in the middle of the room, rotating it to face the central screen...and it showed what looked like a list complete with faces next to each name along with statistics.

He recognised a number of them, as they were soldiers, assassins, and other individuals of interest in every empire in the galaxy. But Envon froze upon several names near the bottom.

_Rikalo 'Rik', Star Devil Captain, highly dangerous marksman and close range fighter._

_De Rien, Civilian, Former Imperial Guard (to who is unknown), proficient at use of fighting staff in close range combat._

_..._

_Paneece, second wife of the ruler of the Holy Irken Empire, former Invader, former medical scientist, capable of adaptive strategic planning and possesses a highly developed intellect that allows her to react quickly and appropriately to any situation._

...

The Irkens in the room did not need to know that there was going to be hell to pay.

Somebody had kidnapped the youngest sister of Tallest Envon...

_Again._

Xxx

**End of chapter**

**Chapter Two will slow down a bit to explain everything, so everybody mark that one when it is up because it will help you to remember a whole lot of things such as the geography of the battlefield where our contestants are going and certain information you might want to remember for later.**


	3. Chapter 2: FACTORY-13

FACTORY 13

Invader Zim is property of Jhonen Vasquez

Seeing as ngrey651's Frequency will be involved once more I also don't own Lilo & Stitch either

Nor do I own any of the characters, ideas and/or OCs not of my own making. And I extend my thanks to the authors who have offered their characters to assist in building this.

Xxx

**Chapter Two: FACTORY-13**

"Greetings citizens of the galaxy!" Warden stood in the center of a screen, the background changing to show different views of Red Yard 13 behind him. "Welcome to what has become the first official season of FACTORY-13. Yes, ladies, gentlemen, and any species of neither or both genders, we are back. And we also are bringing to you the violence and death which excited you so much! The same location, but with so much more added now that Red Yard 13 has fallen into disrepair since the final season of the first series of FACTORY-13."

He vanished from the screen, which now displayed an overhead view of Red Yard 13. It was a perfect circle divided into districts by red lines. Each district was marked in numbers going clockwise around a single smaller circular area in the very heart of Red Yard...which was the size of a small province, having a diameter of nearly 200 miles. The first district, which occupied the space between the 12 and 3 oh clock areas lit up.

"While we prepare for a full broadcast, I shall take you through the changes made in every district. First...the Central Construction area, where you would find anything in your daily lives being constructed be it furniture, appliances, vehicles, or even cosmetics."

**DISTRICT 1: Central Construction**

The first shot was a bird's eye view of a now ruined city of factories. It showed shot within many, ranging from massive assembly lines displaying whole ships being constructed by monstrous robotic arms to bottles being filled with conditioners, cleaning fluids, and more. "But now these factories are lacking in terms of safety and stability."

Now the audience got to watch one massive structure collapse in on itself and explode, shooting dust high into the sky and shrouding everything for hundreds of meters in every direction. Other shots revealed animals prowling the streets, some feeding on one another-and on a random short Irken who was chased through the screen before being run down and devoured by a pack of lion like beasts as he shrieked. "Why would you show this?!"

**DISTRICT 2: Foundry**

The area between the 3 and 5 oh clock positions lit up. Now footage of materials being melted down and reshaped into components was displayed..and that of another not so voluntary Irken being caught on fire when he fell into one of the streams of molten metal. "AHHHH! IREGRETNOTHIIIIIING!"

"It is this place which provides for the other districts, and mostly to District 1 above all." Warden narrated. "Ores and materials brought in from nearby asteroid belts would be delivered here to be made into proper components for whatever was demanded. I have taken the liberty of reactivating the drones so that they may continue their mining operations and bring in a continuous stream of materials to keep these foundries operational...but our contestants should bear in mind that there has always been a bit of a pest problem."

Something reached out of the shadows of the dimly lit and massive factory interior and snatched a piece off of the charred corpse of the Irken, darting away as the cameras followed its silhouette.

**DISTRICT 3: Botanical**

This district was smaller than the first two, taking up the 5-6 oh clock area of the massive circle. It had dozens, hundreds of immense domes which were separated by fields of now overgrown grass and large roots...and many of the domes were shattered. Some looked to still be in usable condition, but the one closest to the very core of Red Yard 13 was utterly shattered and had a massive tree nearly 60 stories high growing from it.

"The Botanical District was primarily used to grow the necessary components for toxins and medicines, but it also possessed a large quantity of regular flora and animals which were observed in their natural habitats. However, due to the gardening drones breaking down you can see that quite a few of these species have broken loose...however you are not the ones who should be worrying." Warden paused as a shot showed a hulking beast lunge at a camera, opening its mouth before the feed was lost and the drone recording it was devoured. "...however our camera drones may have to be reinforced before we broadcast any fights there."

He lightly chuckled. "But that tree at the most inner sector of this District s perhaps the most remarkable even without its size, as it is a specimen of the Shadow Fury home world: Void. More specifically a specimen from before the bombardment of Void which wiped out most of the natural organisms on the surface. It is called a Fury Nest...and with or without specimens of the Shadow Fury species occupying it, this tree is highly dangerous...so perhaps you shall get to see it in action!"

As he said this, a camera drone showed slides of corpses in varying states of decay...and some skeletons, all partially enveloped by bark and vines as though they had been absorbed into the surface of...whatever had them. It looked like the Shadow Nest tree had the diameter of dozens of meters.

The screen now highlighted two districts sharing the 6-9 oh clock positions in the circle. The inner one was District 4, and the outer one was District 5.

**District 4: Military R&D**

The whole district was one massive office building, or thousands connected together. Tens of thousands of rooms were devoted to workers who would design weapons and other military technology for the Armada to use in its never ending war. It was in the best condition, considering the interior was sealed against outside threats for the most part. However it had an eerie atmosphere with the lights flickering on and off in many places, thick layers of dust covering every surface...and clothing left on the floor in almost every corridor and room, as though the bodies of the owners had vanished.

Other rooms were laboratories devoted to the physical construction of these weapons, some of the rooms having to be the size of hangars to create prototype ships in.

"The competitors may favor or fear this particular district." Warden informed the viewers. "As there are still many functional weapons stored here. All you have to do is acquire the proper pass codes to them. These have been hidden on computers throughout the district, allowing competitors to unlock vaults which could possess anything from simple guns and explosives to any sort of deadly weapon that you can imagine."

The camera showed one such vault, currently empty except for Warden, who stood inside it with his arms spread. As he stepped out, he gestured for the camera to move off. "However I advise those with weak stomachs not to observe anything besides regular fighting in this district. This district has a particular chill to it, I admit, and...well I shalln't spoil anything, but it will be entertaining to anyone who can handle it."

**District 5: Exterior Testing Area**

To put it simply, this was a combination of a desert and a junk yard. Crashed vessels, crushed vehicles and other devices littered a good deal of the district. There were also bodies, some encased within armor, others decomposing or having decomposed for all to see. An animal similar to a monkey, except for its scaled flesh and four eyes, was feasting on the remains of a Vortian...another poor soul who had been dropped to be used for the shots used by the camera drones.

Well, apparently this new Keeper had even less regard for sentient life than his predecessors.

"This area is connected to District 4 because of the shared purpose. Where District 4 created weapons, District 5 tested them. And often these scenarios were live fire and with live individuals who would be paid, assuming they could kill the other 'volunteers'. The fighters will find it rather easy to acquire weapons here, if they are still working by this point. But in a graveyard of war such as this, rest assured that something will be found, whether by the will of the contestants...or the will of its own hunger."

As Warden finished, the monkey creature tore an eye out of the Vortian and swallowed it...only for multiple tentacles to spring out of the ground and grab the monkey. It shrieked and struggled before its limbs were snapped off and dragged underground, and its cries went silent as its soul was extinguished.

**District 6: Hydroponics/Cloning/Slaughterhouse (Meat Production)**

This district took up the 9-11 oh clock area. It looked similar to District 1 in a way, except instead of assembly lines and conveyor belts for parts, or robotic arms assembling appliances, it had buildings filled with rows of massive tanks. These tanks of liquid would contain organisms in different stages of development...the cloning process required to grow the meat. These were animals born and artificially accelerated to maturity to be slaughtered.

Irkens might not eat meat, but selling it on other markets had been one of Purple's more intelligent ideas to acquire more funding by cornering the markets of their enemy without them knowing it. A good number of the animals grown were sent to the Botanical District to live in the domes for the purpose of research...and a shot of what the facility looked like at present showed many of these tubes to be shattered or with overgrown and bloated forms within, still twitching.

Other areas showed a slaughterhouse with rotting meat hanging on hooks. Other parts were cold storages the size of foot ball fields, with rows of crates and packages that stood at nearly three stories high. Drones were busy removing rotting meat now that they were functioning again and able to monitor the products. But when one floated out into the open...a massive arm, bulging with muscle, slammed down on it and dragged it away through a door where the unseen predator was enjoying a meal, ignorant of the metal cutting into the roof of its mouth and ripping through its tongue and the lower part of its mouth.

It was as much as mess as the rest of the province sized city/factory.

Now there was just on area, the 11-12 oh clock area of the circle.

**District 7: Executive/Housing**

This place was the least damaged...the buildings were made to last longer than the rest of the complex. Most were intact except for those which suffered damaged from larger creatures or accidents...involving vehicles which were crushed and had blood splatters on the windows and doors without a body to be found. Within, whole apartments and officers were intact and untouched, even clean still after the drones there had reactivated in their protective casing to clean and repair the interiors.

It looked like a normal city in most areas...except for the eerie lack of any form of life. There were even small lakes with parks set up around them, and a large amusement park.

"Ah, in this place is where Red Yard's workers would live when not on their shift." Warden explained. "As you can see it is less damaged than other areas, and would likely contain supplies as the drones have resumed their weekly deliveries from their respective districts to every apartment residence. But this will draw every contestant to them at once. There are other advantages found here, but I shall not blabber on. Now we move to the sub-levels."

Now the audience was shown a 3D image of areas beneath Red Yard 13, catacombs...spreading in every direction for miles.

**Sub-Level**

Many areas closer to a single massive elevator which led up to the heart of Red Yard had abandoned construction equipment and even whole rooms and facilities which had been constructs. As they got further out, the tunnels were more natural and began to fade into walls. And many things were definitely crawling around...creatures which had stumbled down from the light of day and had wandered the immense maze beneath Red Yard.

And many levels were not safe. There were long drops beneath bridges, stair cases with no safety rail to stop a 50 story fall. There were even holes in the floors in some places.

"This area had been under construction towards the end of the Old Irken Empire, but due to an obvious fracture of said Empire it was never finished...as the workers either abandoned this facility, or were stranded and eventually killed as the power went out and a number of specimens escaped captivity." Warden sounded grim this time, instead of his usual amused or jovial tone.

"These are the battlefields available to our contestants. An energy dome covers the entire complex, and combat drones will be deployed to eliminate anybody who attempts to breach or circumvent the shield." The Keeper of FACTORY-13 continued. "Tomorrow morning, we shall begin to sort our contestants into groups. The first twenty seven hours of FACTORY-13, which is a single day cycle on the world which the tournament takes place on shall consist of a game of survival against the native creatures of Red Yard 13...and a number of volunteers."

He clapped his hands once, and the screen showed...an army. Ranks of mercenaries and soldiers. Irkens, Vortians, Planet Jackers, the Slaughter Rat People, ScrewHeads, Plookesians in mech armor, and even Venirans. They were equipped with fully functional weaponry, nothing second hand or older than a few years in design. Obviously they had been equipped for this hunt...

There were thousands of them.

"These mercenaries and donated soldiers of varying factions shall be tasked with wiping out as many contestants as they can for twenty four hours." Warden's calm, almost amused tone had returned. "Each is sorted into a unity of twenty. For each kill, the unit responsible shall be given a reward to any who survive tomorrow. If a group of contestants is eliminated by a single unit, the reward for each contestant triples. And to the families of any who die...that's life!" He chuckled softly.

"Now then, until the beginning of the Survival Phase, which shall weed out the weak for Round One, we shall be taking bets on who shall survive and who shall perish. Each contestant is highly dangerous in their own individual way, and has an equal chance to survive. There shall be no tipping of the scales in favor of one against the other...they may only depend on themselves to survive."

He paused before adding. "Ah yes, and as a twist, I too shall participate in this season of FACTORY-13. As an optional secondary prize, the position of Keeper is available to whoever defeats me within this tournament! To be Keeper means to have access to the tower at the very heart of Red Yard 13 at any time that one wishes. The luxuries and safety will be theirs...I myself shall refrain from using them."

Warden sat down in a chair, one leg propped up on the other in a lazy pose. "I bid a good afternoon to you, denizens of the galaxy-or evening, or morning, depending on where you are. Rest assured with our FTL communications you shall be kept updated to the last second. Until then, please prepare yourselves...for the slaughter."

The message ended...and Tallest Envon snarled as he smashed the screen. "BASTARD!"

He turned on his leading military officers, who flinched away from their Tallest's wrath. "Deploy all of our Blade agents. Every spy. Every informant. Every assassin. I want to find out where this man is and where he is holding my sister and the others. _Find him and bring me his head!_"

He relaxed a bit after the officers fled.

"...I'm sorry, Envon." A gentle hand rested on his left cheek as he sat down. Envon looked up to see the Grandmaster of the Sheyi, Drosco Pocrule. His kind orange eyes looked down at the Tallest as he gently brushed his antennae back. "They will find them."

"They have to," Envon whispered. "They have to..."

Drosco hugged Envon around the shoulders. After a few moments of silence he released the Tallest. "I will pursue my own leads. The Sheyi on every world shall begin a search. We can be persuasive even if our loyalty to you is known."

"Do your best...please." Envon's rage was spent...now he was just miserable. His little sister had been abducted from what was supposed to be a safe haven..._again._

"I shall...my Tallest." Then Drosco was gone.

Xxx

"You can't possibly hate me as much as I hate myself right now," The Caterpillar shook his head, his lower body coiled for his upper body to rest on as he looked at Envon with weary eyes. The Tallest was glaring at him through a communicator.

"_You...were supposed...to keep her safe._" He said, his voice harsh and low. "_Some sanctuary you have! She's been abducted from your precious safe haven! TWICE!_"

The Caterpillar growled as rose up. "Don't lecture me, young one!"

"_Being a few years older and wearing a robe doesn't give you the right to treat me as below you,_" Envon scoffed. "_But letting my sister get abducted again has sure as hell given me the right to be mad!_"

"AND WHERE WERE YOUR SOLDIERS?!" The Caterpillar shouted. "Where were your precious Guardians?! Your Blade Agents?! You were supposed to be the protection for this colony where we could not defend ourselves!"

"Enough!" The Monarch, an alternate version of the Irken known as former Invader Tak and currently Captain Tak of the Crimson Armada stepped out of the shadow of the command center near her husband. "Playing the Blame Game will not help Panny. What will help her is finding who has abducted her and bringing him to justice."

"...we know who did it." Envon said.

"Really?!" The Caterpillar leaned in. "Then-then where is she?!"

"We don't know...the bastard is broadcasting to the whole galaxy as we speak and we can't even track him down." Envon admitted. "...he is Warden, the new Keeper of FACTORY-13."

"Then-then-"

"Then we don't have a lot of time." The Monarch declared. "We must find Paneece...or may Sude have mercy on her...I know of Red Yard 13 and would not wish such a hell on anybody...it is worse than death if she were to endure it alone."

"That's the other thing...she isn't alone." Envon added. "She has BlackJack, Janie, and Rikalo with her."

"...then we may have hope." The Monarch nodded. "But still, I shall call to every agent who answers to us. We shall find this Warden, and we shall not let this crime against both the Holy and Blue Irken Empires go unpunished!"

"That's the best thing that I've heard all day," Envon straightened up. "Okay people...let's not waste time. That son of a bitch stuck my little sister and a lot of good people into hell...let's get them out and be sure to take his head with us when we leave."

Xxx

End of Chapter Two


End file.
